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The Brooks Ghost 18 remains a reliable daily trainer that offers a balanced, stable ride and a highly durable design, but it’s not the most exciting option on the market. The best running shoes available have lighter, livelier designs and are more versatile shoes as a result, and you can get much more cushioned shoes that weigh less than the Ghost 18 too.
Fans of the Ghost line will find the 18 a solid update, but if you are a fan then the Brooks Ghost 17 is a better buy in sales since it’s similar to the new shoe. If you’re just looking for the best cushioned daily trainer to go for, the Asics Novablast 6 is a better option, while more versatile shoes at a similar price include the Saucony Endorphin Azura, Hoka Mach 7 and Adidas Adizero Evo SL.
Design & Key Stats
- Price: £135/$150
- Weight: 303g/10.7oz (men’s UK 9)
- Drop: 10mm
- Stack height: 36mm heel, 26mm forefoot
- Upper: Air mesh with flat knit tongue
- Midsole: DNA Loft v3
- Outsole: Thick RoadTack rubber
Brooks Ghost 18 Review
How’s The Fit
Brooks is very consistent with its sizing across its line-up of cushioned shoes, and the Brooks Ghost 18 fit well in our normal running shoe size. If you’ve ever used a Ghost or Glycerin shoe, stick to the same size you used for that.
Check out more of the best Brooks running shoes
The Run Test: Likes
The Brooks Ghost has been a very popular line of running shoes for many years and maintains that popularity partly by sticking to a similar ride feel. The Ghost 18 has a traditional, high-drop design with a flat geometry that will be familiar to anyone who has used and enjoyed a Ghost shoe in the past.
While it’s not the softest and springiest foam, the DNA Loft v3 material used in the midsole is comfortable and gives a bit of energy return off the forefoot. Heel strikers get enough protection at the back of the shoe, and it snaps through to the forefoot quickly.
DNA Loft v3 is also a durable foam that never bottoms out on long runs, and the thick outsole on the Ghost 18 is also built to last. It’s a pretty good value shoe, and that value is increased by how durable the design is.
It’s also a naturally stable shoe thanks to the firmer midsole foam and relatively low drop. While it’s not a full stability shoe, it’s not as wobbly as many of the softer, high stack options in the daily trainer category these days.
The Run Test: Dislikes
The ride of the Ghost 18 is quite dull and it’s not especially rockered, so it feels quite flat and lacks the smoothness and springiness available from rival daily trainers. It’s also pretty heavy for a relatively low-stack shoe, and not especially versatile.
Other shoes around this stack height weight 50-80g less and are much better-suited to fast runs than the Ghost 18, while still being comfortable for easy efforts. Often they have even more foam in the midsole than the Ghost 18 while being lighter.
On the comfort front, if you heel strike and snap through onto the forefoot we did find that it starts to create a little discomfort under the balls of our feet, because of the low stack height in the front of the shoe. This is particularly noticeable at steady or fast paces.
The Ghost 18 is also very similar to the Ghost 17, so even if you’re a huge fan of its design, we’d suggest looking for sales on the older shoe rather than buying the latest model.
Verdict And Alternatives
The Brooks Ghost 18 is not the most exciting addition to the Ghost line, or the running shoe market in general. It gets the job done and will last a long time, but it feels like the previous model and the Ghost 17 is a better buy in sales if you love the shoe. You could also upgrade to the Brooks Glycerin 23 for a more energetic and comfortable ride, or the Brooks Glycerin Max 2 for a more rockered and cushioned daily trainer.
Outside the Brooks line-up there are a lot of shoes available that offer more comfort in lighter designs with more versatile rides. The Asics Novablast 6 is a good example of a cushioned daily trainer that has a more modern feel, with a bouncier design and a softer feel.
If you like lower-stack shoes then you can get more versatile and fun models that weight a lot less than the Ghost 18 while having the same amount of foam in the midsole, like the Hoka Mach 7, Saucony Endorphin Azura or New Balance Rebel v5.
Compared to other classic daily trainers with big followings, the Ghost 18 is a little more lively than the Nike Pegasus 42, but less comfortable and smooth than the Hoka Clifton 10.